The present invention relates to devices for applying tape from a roll of tape (e.g., masking tape) along a surface to be protected with an edge of the tape extending along a juncture between the surface to be protected and a surface to be treated (e.g., painted) that is disposed at about a right angle with respect to the surface to be protected.
Many devices have been designed for use to apply tape from a roll of tape (e.g., masking tape) along a surface to be protected with an edge of the tape extending along a juncture between the surface to be protected (e.g., a door or window molding) and a surface to be treated (e.g., a wall to be painted) that is disposed at about a right angle with respect to the surface to be protected. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,269,871 (Longworth et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,177 (Gruber) provide illustrative examples. While such prior art devices can be useful for this purpose, all such known prior art devices either are too expensive for use by most homeowners and the like, do not apply the tape at the exact location or with the accuracy that is desired, and/or lack versatility in that the tape can not be applied while moving the device in either of two directions along the surface to be protected without repositioning the roll of tape in the device.
The present invention provides a device for applying tape from a roll of tape (e.g., masking tape) along a surface to be protected with an edge of the tape extending along a juncture between the surface to be protected and a surface to be treated that is disposed at about a right angle with respect to the surface to be protected. The device is sufficiently inexpensive that it can be used by most homeowners and the like, applies the tape at exact desired locations with great accuracy, and can provide versatility in that the tape can be applied while moving the device in either of two directions along the surface to be protected without repositioning the roll of tape in the device.
The device according to the present invention includes a housing around a roll of tape comprising a length of tape wound around a core. That housing can comprise two housing portions, each housing portion having a tape contact part of an inner surface for the housing portion in a first plane along which a side of the tape wound around the core is positioned, and having in a second plane a guide part of an outer surface for the housing portion, which guide part of the outer surface is adapted to be slid along the surface to be treated. The first and second planes on each of the housing portions can be at a small angle with respect to each other (i.e., in the range of about 1 to 4 degrees such as about 1.5 degrees) and disposed to intersect along an application side of the housing. The device can also include a pressure application structure having opposite end portions (e.g., each end portion can comprise a pressure roller), which pressure application structure has a peripheral surface that is generally cylindrically arcuate (e.g., generally cylindrical about an axis when pressure rollers are used), and has outer edges at the ends of its peripheral surface. The pressure application structure is mounted on the housing with the peripheral surfaces of the end portions of pressure application structure generally in alignment, with a part of the peripheral surface of each of the end portions at or closely adjacent to its outer edge at the intersection of the first and second planes for a different adjacent one of the portions of the housing, and with the arcuate peripheral surface of the end portion of the pressure application structure disposed at an angle of no greater than 90 degrees with respect to the adjacent second plane (i.e., disposed at an angle in the range of about 80 to 90 degrees such as 87.5 degrees with respect to that second plane) and projecting from the housing at the intersection of the first and second planes. Means are provided for attaching the portions of the housing together and for journaling the roll of tape between the portions of the housing with the tape contact part of the inner surface for each housing portion along a different one of side surfaces of the wound length of tape included in the roll of tape. Means are also provided for defining a path for the length of tape from the periphery of the roll of tape to the periphery of the pressure application structure with the edges of the tape at or adjacent the intersections of the first and second planes and with adhesive included in the tape on the side of a backing included in the tape opposite the pressure application structure so that the dispenser can be manually positioned with either portion of the housing against the surface to be treated and moved along the surfaces to be treated and protected to accurately apply and press the tape from the roll of tape on the surface to be protected with the peripheral surface of the pressure application structure and with one edge of the tape at a predetermined relationship with respect to the juncture between the surface to be protected and the surface to be treated.
Each end portion of the pressure application structure can have an end surface projecting in the range of about 0.005 to 0.02 inch or 0.01 to 0.05 centimeter beyond the intersection of the first and second planes. That end surface can move along a surface to be treated and provide a predetermined small spacing along the surface to be protected between the surface to be treated and the adjacent edge of the tape being applied to the surface to be protected. That space is useful to insure that the surface to be treated is fully treated (e.g., if the surface to be treated is a wall being painted, the thickness of the edge of the tape will not prevent the paint from extending along the wall to the intersection between the wall and the surface to be protected).
In a similar alternative embodiment of the device, the first and second planes on each of the housing portions can be parallel to each other and spaced closely from each other (e.g., spaced in the range of 0.01 to 0.02 inch or 0.025 to 0.05 centimeter), with the arcuate peripheral surface of the pressure application structure disposed at an angle of no greater than 90 degrees with respect to the first and second planes.
The device according to the present invention can be made so that it will dispense only a single roll of tape, after which the housing is disposed of. If the device is made to be disposable, the means for attaching the portions of the housing together can comprise projections along opposing surfaces of the housing portions that can be mechanically engaged or can be fused together (e.g., with sonic or solvent welding) while the projections deform to allow the housing portions of a device being assembled to be pressed together to positions determined by a thin shim (removed after assembly) between the roll of tape and the housing at which a desired spacing (e.g., 0.010 inch or 0.025 cm) is provided between the side surfaces of the roll of tape and the tape contact parts of the inner surfaces of the housing. Such adjustable assembly of the housing is necessary because of the wide variance in the widths of rolls of masking tape (i.e., rolls of masking tape can have a width tolerance of plus or minus 0.060 inch or 0.15 cm).
Alternatively, the device can be made so that the housing portions are separable by a user to afford removal of an empty core and/or insertion of a new roll of tape, in which case to accommodate the wide variance in the widths of rolls of masking tape, the means for attaching the portions of the housing together can comprise a plurality of releasably engageable fasteners between the housing portions that afford free relative movement of the portions of the housing between a maximum spacing between the parts of the inner surfaces for the housing portions provided by the fasteners at which the widest of rolls of tape in the tolerance range will be received in the device, and an application position with the parts of the inner surfaces for the housing portions in contact with the side surfaces of the roll of tape at which application position the housing portions will be positioned by the user as the user manipulates the device to apply the tape. Alternatively, such releasably engageable fasteners could comprise spaced fasteners (e.g., screws) between the housing portions, and resiliently flexible members (e.g., springs or rubber grommets around the screws) between the housing portions that bias the housing portions to the maximum spacing between the parts of the inner surfaces for the housing portions provided by the fasteners, which maximum spacing could be determined by a shim (removed after assembly) between the roll of tape and the housing.